Building Resilience: Older Buildings in the Sustainable City

How and why to make historic buildings part of our greener city

THURSDAY JUNE 1ST, 7:30PM – 9PM
FLORAL HALL, VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN (5251 OAK STREET)

TICKETS $15 (INC. TAX)/$9 (INC. TAX) WITH VALID STUDENT ID
2017 VHF VOLUNTEERS MAY ATTEND FOR FREE, EMAIL TO REGISTER. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Heritage House Tour pre-tour lecture with Mark Thompson Brandt

What part will our older buildings and historic places play in a sustainable city? As we look forward to sharing another collection of historic homes on our 15th annual Heritage House Tour, we also reflect on how our understanding of heritage conservation has changed over this period. This year we offer a pre-tour lecture that considers how Vancouver’s historic buildings and homes can embrace sustainability goals that have become a common part of 21st century life. Mark Thompson Brandt, Conservation Architect and Author, will discuss why it is important to sustainably upgrade our older building stock, how heritage conservation relates to environmental conservation and to the global and national movement towards the new “Low Carbon Economy”. As co-author of “Building Resilience: Practical Guidelines for the Sustainable Conservation of Buildings in Canada”, he will explore both why we should and how we can make historic buildings part of our “greening” plans. Mark will introduce the key principles of the Guidelines and how they can be applied to a wide variety of building types from homes to large-scale non-residential sites by both professionals and owners. Drawing on his 30 years of experience in practice and his national and international involvement in both the heritage and sustainability fields, he will highlight case studies from Vancouver, Canada and the USA and discuss how we can successfully connect our historic buildings with our sustainability goals.

After the lecture, join us on June 4th for the Heritage House Tour where we will look at 9 heritage properties, including one that has carefully considered sustainability in its restoration. With roofing made from recycled tires, a innovative furnace that runs on reclaimed methane, rainwater capture system and a hive to help the local bee population, this home is actually an inspiring example of the possibilities of making historic homes part of a sustainable community.

Visit our Heritage and Sustainability page for more resources and information about this important topic.

This course earns 1.5 Core LU’s AIBC.